Viking Supporters Co-operative
Viking Chat => Off Topic => Topic started by: mushRTID on May 02, 2020, 07:34:10 am
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Discussing this with the Mrs, thought I would ask you lot the same, I imagine there are some very seasoned travellers in here and something different to discuss amidst the gloom!
Didn’t get to as many places as I’d have liked before the young un came along, a bit of a regret really.
But I would have to say Singapore on the first leg of our Honeymoon. Fantastic place, so many different cultures and would definitely recommend it and would love to go back one day.
What you got??
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As a single stand alone destination The Grand Canyon has been the one thing I have seen that surpassed what I expected. I have now been there maybe 5 times and stayed overnight maybe 3 times to see the sun go down and see it rise the next Morning over the far rim
Bill Bryson summed it up perfectly in one Chapter of his Book (Notes from a Big Counrty maybe ?) and he opened it with something like "Nothing prepares you for the Grand Canyon - no matter how may times you have seen photographs films or heard it described it still leaves you speechless - thats a huge parody I know but by god he was right
I will see if there is a photo in my collection that gets within a millionth of doing it justice
There isnt one but this will have to do lol
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As a single stand alone destination The Grand Canyon has been the one thing I have seen that surpassed what I expected. I have now been there maybe 5 times and stayed overnight maybe 3 times to see the sun go down and see it rise the next Morning over the far rim
Bill Bryson summed it up perfectly in one Chapter of his Book (Notes from a Big Counrty maybe ?) and he opened it with something like "Nothing prepares you for the Grand Canyon - no matter how may times you have seen photographs films or heard it described it still leaves you speechless - thats a huge parody I know but by god he was right
I will see if there is a photo in my collection that gets within a millionth of doing it justice
There isnt one but this will have to do lol
It’s stunning. Went 4 years ago, regret going on the coach trip though and not by helicopter!
Amazing experience
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Berlin in the early 1970's before the Wall came down , a fascinating contrast between the West and East halves of the City . A reputed 5,000 clubs and bars in the West and about 2 in the East !
Footballing wise , Hertha BSC were riding high in the Bundesliga and regularly played in European Cup games , old Olympic stadium filled with up to 80,000 supporters
More importantly where I met Mrs HR
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Strangely I have been to Las Vegas 9 times (not for years now though) and when people ask me what is the best bit about it I always say :
The Grand Canyon - then I add - even tough it is not in the same State of course and is as far away from Donny as Conwall is.
I have driven a few times and flew in a 9 or 11 Seater Plane once. The skies were black with Planes - they were literally everywhere. They weighed people and then selected the Passengers. Me and Mrs DW had 7 Japanese tourists so they played the commentary tape in Japanese and the Pilot just told us in English what we were seeing
Really funny hearing a sentence or 2 in Japanese with "Hoover Dam" or "Grando Canyon (no kidding) stuck in it somewhere.
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The strangest place I have been was Tijuana in Mexico probably in 91.
Took a Tram (mega posh) San Diego to San Isidro still in California and then walked off through the border and no mans land then into Mexico where it was unimaginably different.
From a Country with everything to one that seemingly had nothing - except for the 50 foot long Cars that had found their way over the Border. There were beggars and the first word I heard but not the last "Taxi Taxi" as people tried to give you a ride about 400 yards to the centre.
The buses had slatted wooden seats - there were Fountains painted in primary colours but none had water - and it was surreal but r-e-a-l. The lifestyle difference leap you make coming back 100 yards is incredible
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Glad you enjoyed Singapore Mush but I really wasn’t a fan when I went - felt it was just very businesslike and sterile compared to the other places I went on that trip like Cambodia, Vietnam & Thailand.
For me New Zealand takes some beating - absolutely stunning terrain, plenty to do and friendly people. Hoping to get to South America and somewhere like Patagonia once this is all over (whenever that might be!)
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New Zealand I would love to go there. Nephew went just as Social Media got going so I could follow him about
Queenstown still has an appeal and I would like to see it for real.
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Yosemite National Park. Probably the same feeling you guys got at The Grand Canyon.
I felt like I was stood in front a huge canvas painting of a scene out of Star Wars.
The 7,200 ft drive up to Glacier Point was one of the most scariest and exhilarating things I've ever done.
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Thanks for that - another place on my to do list if I ever dare get on a Plane again lol. Always looks immense there
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The Caribbean is up there.
British Virgin Islands. US Virgin Islands. St Lucia, Barbados, the best,Bermuda.
The scariest. Freetown, Sierra Leone.
The most exciting, Brazil, Peru,Columbia,Ecuador, Chile.
But the best place on earth for me was Ladakh region of northern India, scenery like nowhere else, even more stunning than the Grand Canyon.
Best places for food, China, South Korea, Japan, Cambodia, Vietnam, superb.
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Petra, the Taj Mahal and the Angor Wat temple complex are all worth a trip out.
My own personal favourite experience is mountain biking in the Himalayas - to the village of Muktinath in the Annapurna range - 3 days up - 4 hours down. It amazed me that I was 4k up in the air and then the mountain was still another 2k above me.
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I want to visit the US but not while trump is in office, maybe Canada when travel restrictions are over.
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Blimey, i'm obviously not very well travelled. mind you i hate flying, one trip to the States was enough for me.
i'm quite happy exploring Europe and if covid closes all the airlines down it wont bother me. italy is hard to beat, for its culture, history, scenery and everything. i also love the countryside of Northern England, perhaps its just nostalgia for the holidays of my youth.
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Much of my travelling beyond Europe has been in business and any one airport/hotel/exhibition centre cycle is very much like the next. However if I get any down time on my trips I try to do a bit of sight seeing. Often I will go visit a high point of attraction, to at least get a good view of the surroundings I don’t have time to visit.
Such as the statue of Christ the Redeemer in Rio, or the top visitor level of the Empire State Building, the Singapore equivalent of the London eye, Eiffel Tower etc..
I’ve made relatively trivial calls back to the office at work whilst stood in some great places, drinking a cold beer on the rooftop cactus bar at changi airport in Singapore, or standing knee deep in the lapping sea shore watching the sun set over the sea off an island called langkawi.
I suppose New York would be my favourite out of all.. followed by Rio.
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Blimey, i'm obviously not very well travelled. mind you i hate flying, one trip to the States was enough for me.
i'm quite happy exploring Europe and if covid closes all the airlines down it wont bother me. italy is hard to beat, for its culture, history, scenery and everything. i also love the countryside of Northern England, perhaps its just nostalgia for the holidays of my youth.
I'm like you RD.
Can't be doing with long flights. 4 hours to Tenerife drives me crazy.
So I love exploring the British Isles.
Can't think of too many areas I haven't been over here.
So many fantastic places, the Scottish Highlands probably my favourite.
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I would go back to the north of Scotland permanently, rather than to visit, if the circumstances permitted.. north east areas - Speyside, or the Black Isle type of place..
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IDM ..........I lived on Speyside for over 11 years at a place called Aberlour ( famous for it's whisky ) and worked as a field engineer throughout NE Scotland and up to Wick and across to Skye ....moved back south 3 years ago to North Lincs
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It's hard to compare places and put them in numerical order as time has an effect on memories but the Si Phan Don area of Laos was memorable with the trip to get there in a motorised canoe and the Four Thousand Island area very rural at the time. Not a lot of accommodation which limited tourist numbers. I have to be careful here as the snit patrol maybe taking notes to use against me :)
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IDM ..........I lived on Speyside for over 11 years at a place called Aberlour ( famous for it's whisky ) and worked as a field engineer throughout NE Scotland and up to Wick and across to Skye ....moved back south 3 years ago to North Lincs
I was at RAF Kinloss. Had a house just outside Forres, in the way to Grantown. Had looked for houses anywhere between grantown on Spey, Elgin, Inverness and all around the Black Isle and Cromarty Firth.
Was Aberlour the place with the walkers shortbread factory.?
Did you go watch any football whilst up there.?
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India without a doubt. We've been there twice and would go back again tomorrow. The people are unbelievably happy and friendly, the place is so colourful and the scenery magnificent. Oh, and the food is so different to that which we get in Indian restaurants over here. You have to be prepared for the poverty which, strangely, can be upsetting for us yet is not for the people who live like that - they seem perfectly happy with their lot.
Here's a link to a set of photographs I took trying to capture life, as I saw it, rather than the usual tourist scenes....
https://www.fujix-forum.com/threads/x-20-in-india-part-1.63304/
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Strangely I have been to Las Vegas 9 times (not for years now though) and when people ask me what is the best bit about it I always say :
The Grand Canyon - then I add - even tough it is not in the same State of course and is as far away from Donny as Conwall is.
I have driven a few times and flew in a 9 or 11 Seater Plane once. The skies were black with Planes - they were literally everywhere. They weighed people and then selected the Passengers. Me and Mrs DW had 7 Japanese tourists so they played the commentary tape in Japanese and the Pilot just told us in English what we were seeing
Really funny hearing a sentence or 2 in Japanese with "Hoover Dam" or "Grando Canyon (no kidding) stuck in it somewhere.
I drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, did a short detour to Hoover Dam.
Incredible engineering.
I really enjoyed driving over there, apart from LA, it's a shit hole.
LA, I wouldn't go back for a gold pig.
Las Vegas however, loved the place and I want to go back without the kids.
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India without a doubt. We've been there twice and would go back again tomorrow. The people are unbelievably happy and friendly, the place is so colourful and the scenery magnificent. Oh, and the food is so different to that which we get in Indian restaurants over here. You have to be prepared for the poverty which, strangely, can be upsetting for us yet is not for the people who live like that - they seem perfectly happy with their lot.
Here's a link to a set of photographs I took trying to capture life, as I saw it, rather than the usual tourist scenes....
https://www.fujix-forum.com/threads/x-20-in-india-part-1.63304/
Great photos kato thanks for sharing
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India without a doubt. We've been there twice and would go back again tomorrow. The people are unbelievably happy and friendly, the place is so colourful and the scenery magnificent. Oh, and the food is so different to that which we get in Indian restaurants over here. You have to be prepared for the poverty which, strangely, can be upsetting for us yet is not for the people who live like that - they seem perfectly happy with their lot.
Here's a link to a set of photographs I took trying to capture life, as I saw it, rather than the usual tourist scenes....
https://www.fujix-forum.com/threads/x-20-in-india-part-1.63304/
Brilliant photos mate!
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Strangely I have been to Las Vegas 9 times (not for years now though) and when people ask me what is the best bit about it I always say :
The Grand Canyon - then I add - even tough it is not in the same State of course and is as far away from Donny as Conwall is.
I have driven a few times and flew in a 9 or 11 Seater Plane once. The skies were black with Planes - they were literally everywhere. They weighed people and then selected the Passengers. Me and Mrs DW had 7 Japanese tourists so they played the commentary tape in Japanese and the Pilot just told us in English what we were seeing
Really funny hearing a sentence or 2 in Japanese with "Hoover Dam" or "Grando Canyon (no kidding) stuck in it somewhere.
I drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, did a short detour to Hoover Dam.
Incredible engineering.
I really enjoyed driving over there, apart from LA, it's a shit hole.
LA, I wouldn't go back for a gold pig.
Las Vegas however, loved the place and I want to go back without the kids.
Have always fancied LA, what was so bad mate?
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Strangely I have been to Las Vegas 9 times (not for years now though) and when people ask me what is the best bit about it I always say :
The Grand Canyon - then I add - even tough it is not in the same State of course and is as far away from Donny as Conwall is.
I have driven a few times and flew in a 9 or 11 Seater Plane once. The skies were black with Planes - they were literally everywhere. They weighed people and then selected the Passengers. Me and Mrs DW had 7 Japanese tourists so they played the commentary tape in Japanese and the Pilot just told us in English what we were seeing
Really funny hearing a sentence or 2 in Japanese with "Hoover Dam" or "Grando Canyon (no kidding) stuck in it somewhere.
I drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, did a short detour to Hoover Dam.
Incredible engineering.
I really enjoyed driving over there, apart from LA, it's a shit hole.
LA, I wouldn't go back for a gold pig.
Las Vegas however, loved the place and I want to go back without the kids.
Have always fancied LA, what was so bad mate?
It's like Blackpool on steroids, it's dangerous. We felt on edge all the time, even in the touristy spots like Hollywood boulevard.
Our hotel was only two blocks away bug we had to make sure we got back there for around 6 o'clock in the evening as the crazies came out.
Groups of street gangsters, pimps, druggies etc.
I'm glad we only had one day there.
The only bright spot I thought was eating at the HardRock Cafe, that place was cool.
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Strangely I have been to Las Vegas 9 times (not for years now though) and when people ask me what is the best bit about it I always say :
The Grand Canyon - then I add - even tough it is not in the same State of course and is as far away from Donny as Conwall is.
I have driven a few times and flew in a 9 or 11 Seater Plane once. The skies were black with Planes - they were literally everywhere. They weighed people and then selected the Passengers. Me and Mrs DW had 7 Japanese tourists so they played the commentary tape in Japanese and the Pilot just told us in English what we were seeing
Really funny hearing a sentence or 2 in Japanese with "Hoover Dam" or "Grando Canyon (no kidding) stuck in it somewhere.
I drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, did a short detour to Hoover Dam.
Incredible engineering.
I really enjoyed driving over there, apart from LA, it's a shit hole.
LA, I wouldn't go back for a gold pig.
Las Vegas however, loved the place and I want to go back without the kids.
Have always fancied LA, what was so bad mate?
It's like Blackpool on steroids, it's dangerous. We felt on edge all the time, even in the touristy spots like Hollywood boulevard.
Our hotel was only two blocks away bug we had to make sure we got back there for around 6 o'clock in the evening as the crazies came out.
Groups of street gangsters, pimps, druggies etc.
I'm glad we only had one day there.
The only bright spot I thought was eating at the HardRock Cafe, that place was cool.
For me it was the sheer size of the place and the Traffic - god the Traffic
I managed the Star Walk Chinese Theatre Rodeo Drive Beverly Hills saw the Hollywood sign from miles away went to the Beach (maybe Venice) Disneyland and a few other places but I couldnt wait to get out of there
One highlight was going to Long Beach and staying on Queen Mary - that was a treat and didnt cost much but it was 1991 ish
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Yes, great photos kato, would love to go back to India, I’d make sure I took plenty of hand sanetiser and Imodium though.
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Tends to be isolated moments for me, rather than being overwhelmed by the overall impression of a place.
I was once at a meeting in Shizuoka in Japan. It had been cloudy all week. Then the weather lifted and the host stopped the meeting and pressed a button to open the blinds on the big window. Mt Fuji was emerging out if the clouds, 30 miles away. Absolutely spellbinding. The closest I've ever come to a spiritual experience.
Looked a bit like this, but with the mountain emerging from the mist, so you weren't sure if it wa...Oh good God! THERE it is!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Mount_Fuji_and_Shizuoka_Station.jpg/1024px-Mount_Fuji_and_Shizuoka_Station.jpg)
In recent times, standing on the Golden Gate bridge had a similar effect on me.
I've got a real soft spot for the great train stations in Europe. Just looking at the departure board at Munich Hauptbahnhof and seeing trains going to Belgrade and Warsaw and Naples and Paris. The feeling of the history and complexities and possibilities of Europe. But you have to be listening to Empires and Dance by Simple Minds to really get it.
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Good thread by the way.
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I’ve climbed that bas**rd through the night to see the sunrise and it was a bas**rd I can tell you, sunrise like no other.
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Tends to be isolated moments for me, rather than being overwhelmed by the overall impression of a place.
I was once at a meeting in Shizuoka in Japan. It had been cloudy all week. Then the weather lifted and the host stopped the meeting and pressed a button to open the blinds on the big window. Mt Fuji was emerging out if the clouds, 30 miles away. Absolutely spellbinding. The closest I've ever come to a spiritual experience.
Looked a bit like this, but with the mountain emerging from the mist, so you weren't sure if it wa...Oh good God! THERE it is!
(https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/1/1e/Mount_Fuji_and_Shizuoka_Station.jpg/1024px-Mount_Fuji_and_Shizuoka_Station.jpg)
In recent times, standing on the Golden Gate bridge had a similar effect on me.
I've got a real soft spot for the great train stations in Europe. Just looking at the departure board at Munich Hauptbahnhof and seeing trains going to Belgrade and Warsaw and Naples and Paris. The feeling of the history and complexities and possibilities of Europe. But you have to be listening to Empires and Dance by Simple Minds to really get it.
Agree with the Golden Gate Bridge, loved San Francisco, totally cool, lazy city vibe.
Walked across the Golden Gate Bridge to Saucalito, a beautiful harbour village on the opposite side of the bay.
Started off misty on the San Francisco side, then it was totally clear and red hot on the other side.
Looking down off the bridge you could see seals, sting rays etc coming in and going out of the bay.
We did a Californian Road trip last year and took in loads of brilliant places.
I would highly recommend driving down Route 1 to take in The Big Sur.
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I have been all over the world with my work in Exhibitions and Museums. But I have to say where I live now in Mindanao southern Philippines is absolutely the winner stunning really stunning. Mindanao gets a bad rap as its on most governments no go lists, but it really rewards those who do go there. But on my door step is one of my dream destinations Cloud 9 in Surigao, its a world class surf break
and a place I once only dreamed I could visit, let alone live there.
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I’ve climbed that bas**rd through the night to see the sunrise and it was a bas**rd I can tell you, sunrise like no other.
Yes and links back nicely to the Grand Canyon because each sunrise I go to there have been loads and loads of Japanese all there because I guess it is spiritual for them - being the Land of the Rising Sun. They were singing / humming or similar. Dont mean that disrespectfully I just dont know but the collective gasp or ooh when the sun first popped over the Rim was not coordinated but sounded "like it had to be done" or was instinctive
Mind you they were all at Pearl Harbor went I went there - probably a little less spiritual
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For IDM
Aberlour....Walker's shortbread factory still there and has expanded over the years , village also well known for it's salmon fishing as well .
As to football , mostly at Elgin and around the Highland League particularly at Keith , Lossimouth and Rothes
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I remember going to the factory shop where they sold “seconds” dirt cheap.
I went to Elgin city a couple of times, and Ross County, but mainly Inverness CT just as they moved to their new stadium. Funnily enough, the first league fixture (or one of, its a long time ago) there was called off close to kick off due to a frozen pitch. But Clach’s game was on so I went there instead.. had some good times watching ICT in those days.
Getting back to the thread - anyone else walked along the “High Line” park in NYC.?
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I remember going to the factory shop where they sold “seconds” dirt cheap.
I went to Elgin city a couple of times, and Ross County, but mainly Inverness CT just as they moved to their new stadium. Funnily enough, the first league fixture (or one of, its a long time ago) there was called off close to kick off due to a frozen pitch. But Clach’s game was on so I went there instead.. had some good times watching ICT in those days.
Getting back to the thread - anyone else walked along the “High Line” park in NYC.?
Yeah
It's brilliant, just kept dropping down onto the streets below for different bars and to look at areas that took out fancy before going back up and following the whole route.
Took a trip out of NY on the train along the Hudson River to a town called Beacon. You would have thought that you were in a different era. Timber buildings, train lines in the streets, a waterfall, hardly any cars, no chain stores or franchises and a brilliant museum.
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Strangely I have been to Las Vegas 9 times (not for years now though) and when people ask me what is the best bit about it I always say :
The Grand Canyon - then I add - even tough it is not in the same State of course and is as far away from Donny as Conwall is.
I have driven a few times and flew in a 9 or 11 Seater Plane once. The skies were black with Planes - they were literally everywhere. They weighed people and then selected the Passengers. Me and Mrs DW had 7 Japanese tourists so they played the commentary tape in Japanese and the Pilot just told us in English what we were seeing
Really funny hearing a sentence or 2 in Japanese with "Hoover Dam" or "Grando Canyon (no kidding) stuck in it somewhere.
I drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas, did a short detour to Hoover Dam.
Incredible engineering.
I really enjoyed driving over there, apart from LA, it's a shit hole.
LA, I wouldn't go back for a gold pig.
Las Vegas however, loved the place and I want to go back without the kids.
Have always fancied LA, what was so bad mate?
It's like Blackpool on steroids, it's dangerous. We felt on edge all the time, even in the touristy spots like Hollywood boulevard.
Our hotel was only two blocks away bug we had to make sure we got back there for around 6 o'clock in the evening as the crazies came out.
Groups of street gangsters, pimps, druggies etc.
I'm glad we only had one day there.
The only bright spot I thought was eating at the HardRock Cafe, that place was cool.
Nudga,
I wonder if the writer of I Am Legend got his idea for the film after dashing home before dark in LA .
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Scariest place I've ever been was Rio about 15 years ago.
First day there, I had my shoes nicked.
Second day, Mrs S-T was mugged.
Third day, a guy was murdered on the steps of our hotel. Went out to photograph sunrise over the SugarLoaf Mountain. Someone coshed him over the head for his phone and he never came round.
Fifth day I left the hotel grounds and someone was shitting in a planter by the hotel gate.
Had my suitcase broken into at the airport coming home. £750 of stuff nicked.
Then a week later, I'm flicking through The Times and there's a photo of the promenade outside our hotel. So I read the story. 4 days after we left there was a 3 hour gun battle on the road between police and local drug barons. 35 dead.
Jaw droppingly beautiful place but you needed 20 pairs of eyes the whole time.
I found out later that there were more violent deaths in Rio in 2005 than there were in Baghdad.
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Agree with BST – a great thread, and like BST I also have a special soft spot for structures – in my case bridges. As a young child in the 1950’s a had a favourite jigsaw puzzle of Sydney Harbour bridge and my top personal moment was seeing it and walking over it. I also loved the Golden Gate bridge, and more locally the Clifton Suspension bridge and even the Humber Bridge. And over here in Northern Ireland the Carrick-a-Rede rope bridge on the North Antrim coast.
Most of my favourite places are in Europe, with special love of Tuscany, Greek Islands and Norway. IMHO Tuscany has incomparably beautiful cities/towns such as Florence, Sienna and San Gimignano, but also lesser well known hill towns such as Cortona and Montepulciano. And the food and wine are my favourites anywhere I have been. Norwegian fjords are stunning and I have been fortunate to see several, including in the north. Greek Islands (which I first saw as a student in the 1970’s, sleeping on the beaches) are also fabulous with special mention for Santorini (what a feeling to stand on the edge of such a cataclysmic event and imagine it) and Elounda in Crete.
Other cities I have visited and specially enjoyed include Verona, Krakow, Maastricht, Bruges and Freiburg im Breisgau.
It is easy to forget what you have on your doorstep. I lived 30 years just 10 minutes from Delft, and that is a beautiful town. Also the Escher Paleis, a museum in The Hague built in a small former royal palace is my favourite museum anywhere – I love Escher and his illusions. York is such a fabulous place, which I came to appreciate more after I left Yorkshire. Malham is very special as well, and BST – I have always had a soft spot for Knaresborough station.
IMHO the UK has so much. For a city it is impossible to beat the centre of Oxford at a time when no-one is around – e.g. 0700 on a sunny summer Sunday morning. For countryside (outside of all the Yorkshire beauty spots) I love the Gower peninsula, Pembrokeshire, the Lake District, and the Giant’s Causeway North Antrim coast. One engineering sight I would love to see, having seen it recently on TV, is the Falkirk Wheel – look it up and see how much it raises barges. And much as I dislike life in London, it does have some fabulous museums.
Each to their own, and above is simply things I have enjoyed. As BST says – a great thread.
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Miles and miles of tranquil golden beach. Beautiful blue cloudless sky and a hot blazing sun beaming down as we drank cold lager in the beer garden next to the pier, listening to local talent taking turn on the outdoor stage.
Yep, Southport's great in a heatwave.
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How do I upload pictures on here from a mobile phone
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How do I upload pictures on here from a mobile phone
1) Go to Desktop mode (button at the bottom of this screen)
2) Hit "Reply" to a post.
3) That gives you the option to attach a file.
4) FFS check carefully what you've attached before you post it...
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Scariest place I've ever been was Rio about 15 years ago.
First day there, I had my shoes nicked.
Second day, Mrs S-T was mugged.
Third day, a guy was murdered on the steps of our hotel. Went out to photograph sunrise over the SugarLoaf Mountain. Someone coshed him over the head for his phone and he never came round.
Fifth day I left the hotel grounds and someone was shitting in a planter by the hotel gate.
Had my suitcase broken into at the airport coming home. £750 of stuff nicked.
Then a week later, I'm flicking through The Times and there's a photo of the promenade outside our hotel. So I read the story. 4 days after we left there was a 3 hour gun battle on the road between police and local drug barons. 35 dead.
Jaw droppingly beautiful place but you needed 20 pairs of eyes the whole time.
I found out later that there were more violent deaths in Rio in 2005 than there were in Baghdad.
Where did you stay.? I was right on the promenade at ipanema beach. Got a yellow cab from the airport to the hotel, and to the exhibition centre and back each day and saw no bother.
I did have a down day where I got a cab to the funicular railway to get to Cristo Redemptor, and after from there I got the metro to the Maracana and then back to ipanema. Only went on the metro in daytime though - ventured only a couple of blocks around the hotel in the evening, but again, never saw any bother..
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Miles and miles of tranquil golden beach. Beautiful blue cloudless sky and a hot blazing sun beaming down as we drank cold lager in the beer garden next to the pier, listening to local talent taking turn on the outdoor stage.
Yep, Southport's great in a heatwave.
Used to be a lovely town, Lord Street was reputed to be one of the most expensive streets in the country. We lived just down the road in Formby for twenty two and a half years, now that really is a lovely village with even better beaches.
Southport went down the pan when they built Liverpool One which connected the Albert Dock with Liverpool city centre and people preferred to go there rather than Southport. It's a proper dead and alive hole now, sadly!
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Scariest place I've ever been was Rio about 15 years ago.
First day there, I had my shoes nicked.
Second day, Mrs S-T was mugged.
Third day, a guy was murdered on the steps of our hotel. Went out to photograph sunrise over the SugarLoaf Mountain. Someone coshed him over the head for his phone and he never came round.
Fifth day I left the hotel grounds and someone was shitting in a planter by the hotel gate.
Had my suitcase broken into at the airport coming home. £750 of stuff nicked.
Then a week later, I'm flicking through The Times and there's a photo of the promenade outside our hotel. So I read the story. 4 days after we left there was a 3 hour gun battle on the road between police and local drug barons. 35 dead.
Jaw droppingly beautiful place but you needed 20 pairs of eyes the whole time.
I found out later that there were more violent deaths in Rio in 2005 than there were in Baghdad.
Where did you stay.? I was right on the promenade at ipanema beach. Got a yellow cab from the airport to the hotel, and to the exhibition centre and back each day and saw no bother.
I did have a down day where I got a cab to the funicular railway to get to Cristo Redemptor, and after from there I got the metro to the Maracana and then back to ipanema. Only went on the metro in daytime though - ventured only a couple of blocks around the hotel in the evening, but again, never saw any bother..
Had a week in a hotel on Copacabana. Then a week at Leblon.
The cosh murder was at Copacabana. The gun battle was at Leblon.
Apparently the situation improved markedly in the few years after we were there in 2005. They made huge economic strides for a few years and there was a lot of investment in improving living standards in the favellas.
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I went in 2015
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How do I upload pictures on here from a mobile phone
1) Go to Desktop mode (button at the bottom of this screen)
2) Hit "Reply" to a post.
3) That gives you the option to attach a file.
4) FFS check carefully what you've attached before you post it...
Haha, thank you.
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This is about as exotic as it gets for me Barcelona
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Half Dome at Yosemite
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LA was shit but I met my kindred spirit.
Vegas is stunning at night though.
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I went to Vegas for the first time last year and not really sure what the fuss is about. Went to an amazing pool party but that could have been anywhere sunny with booze flowing, and Downtown was decent but I thought the casinos were really quite depressing and it was nothing like what I was expecting. Judging by what people have said in this thread I missed out by not going to the Grand Canyon (unfortunately I was only there 2 nights so didn’t have the time).
Somewhere not mentioned yet is the Norwegian Fjords which are stunning - particular highlight when I went was a hike up to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), a flat rock on top of a cliff face with amazing views out across the fjords (even on a cloudy day!)
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If you want to experience real gambling, go to Macau. Been a few times, to Vegas and Macau.
All the same casinos in the Macau, but it couldn't be more different.
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Some great travels in here everyone, just as I expected.
I loved everything about Vegas. Only went once with the mrs and been trying to convince the lads to go ever since, but no luck. My dream is to go watch boxing there sometime.
Although I didn’t do the Grand Canyon by helicopter, we did go on a helicopter ride up and down the strip on the last night. Probably the best experience Iv had that. Photo;
Freemont St blew my mind too, the light shows etc. Just amazing.
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Mush, Freemont Street light show.
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Mush, Freemont Street light show.
Stunning!
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Half Dome at Yosemite
That is just stunning as I expected i would be
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I went to Vegas for the first time last year and not really sure what the fuss is about. Went to an amazing pool party but that could have been anywhere sunny with booze flowing, and Downtown was decent but I thought the casinos were really quite depressing and it was nothing like what I was expecting. Judging by what people have said in this thread I missed out by not going to the Grand Canyon (unfortunately I was only there 2 nights so didn’t have the time).
Somewhere not mentioned yet is the Norwegian Fjords which are stunning - particular highlight when I went was a hike up to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), a flat rock on top of a cliff face with amazing views out across the fjords (even on a cloudy day!)
Did the Fjords and brilliant it was. However the Grand Canyon is not called that for nowt. Serene majestic spiritual just a place not to be "crude" or disrespectful lol
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I quite like going here..
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I went to Vegas for the first time last year and not really sure what the fuss is about. Went to an amazing pool party but that could have been anywhere sunny with booze flowing, and Downtown was decent but I thought the casinos were really quite depressing and it was nothing like what I was expecting. Judging by what people have said in this thread I missed out by not going to the Grand Canyon (unfortunately I was only there 2 nights so didn’t have the time).
Somewhere not mentioned yet is the Norwegian Fjords which are stunning - particular highlight when I went was a hike up to Preikestolen (Pulpit Rock), a flat rock on top of a cliff face with amazing views out across the fjords (even on a cloudy day!)
Nick, we spent the best part of 3 hours just walking around Ceasars Palace.
The attention to detail is magnificent.
And the Balagio at night is beautiful, the water fountain show brought a lump to my throat.
Vegas has something for everyone. It's just a fun place with loads of happy people milling around.
We walked 16 miles around Vegas one day and only spent a few dollars on drinks and snap. There's just so much to look at.
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Yeah fair point, the Balagio water show was pretty spectacular. Maybe I just had an overly-glamourised view of the casinos in my mind from Hollywood films and the reality I saw was hairy shouldered middle-Muricans walking round in flip flops and basketball jerseys. I felt it was too busy and tacky. But also could be because I was really pushed for time and maybe there were hidden gems I didn’t get to see.
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IDM ..........I lived on Speyside for over 11 years at a place called Aberlour ( famous for it's whisky ) and worked as a field engineer throughout NE Scotland and up to Wick and across to Skye ....moved back south 3 years ago to North Lincs
I was at RAF Kinloss. Had a house just outside Forres, in the way to Grantown. Had looked for houses anywhere between grantown on Spey, Elgin, Inverness and all around the Black Isle and Cromarty Firth.
Was Aberlour the place with the walkers shortbread factory.?
Did you go watch any football whilst up there.?
I was at based in Stornoway for 3 years - great place. Went back up last year en route to Tain where my uncle lives... Went to see Inverness CT a few times whilst doing 'liaison' visits to Kinloss.
Have many relatives still in Edinburgh and love the place.... do the festival most years..
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I quite like going here..
The bloke in the middle of my photo didnt enjoy it on opening day !
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I quite like going here..
The bloke in the middle of my photo didnt enjoy it on opening day !
The photo was taken on 29 September 2015. Walking round the lake having parked before an evening fixture - a 2-2 draw vs Swindon.
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Yeah fair point, the Balagio water show was pretty spectacular. Maybe I just had an overly-glamourised view of the casinos in my mind from Hollywood films and the reality I saw was hairy shouldered middle-Muricans walking round in flip flops and basketball jerseys. I felt it was too busy and tacky. But also could be because I was really pushed for time and maybe there were hidden gems I didn’t get to see.
I'm was lucky (or maybe not) that I spent quite a bit of time in LV back in 1990's/2000's. The Bellagio has always been impressive and I enjoyed going down town when I was there. I was lucky enough to see a couple of fight nights whilst there and managed to get free tickets to see Lennox Lewis fighting at Caesars Palace, Dire Straits playing at Bally's and Tom Jones at the MGM.
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I rode the Deuce when they first brought it to "town". It was funny because the USA folks could not "get it" and mainly stayed downstairs
Still got the Tickets for the first day it opened
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Yeah fair point, the Balagio water show was pretty spectacular. Maybe I just had an overly-glamourised view of the casinos in my mind from Hollywood films and the reality I saw was hairy shouldered middle-Muricans walking round in flip flops and basketball jerseys. I felt it was too busy and tacky. But also could be because I was really pushed for time and maybe there were hidden gems I didn’t get to see.
You really did miss lots I am guessing. I did 3 weeks once and still feel I missed things
Example ? The Fountains of Bellagio are magnificent - no other words to describe them. Just before midnight I used to always be there and they do almost a half hour "show" ending with of course te National Anthem
However within 400 yeards of there are the Chocolate Waterfalls of Bellagio - molten chocolate in 3 different varieties flowing non stop just for the visitors to look at AND the Chandalier in reception cost them a cool 600000 quid when it was built.
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and the Chocolate waterfalls of Bellagio - or a very small corner of them
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Istanbul as an adult, and the museums in London especially the science and imperial war museums when a kid, West Wales for a chill holiday,
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Been lucky enough to go to quite a lot of wonderful places. Think my favourites are standing on top of Table Mountain overlooking Cape Town and to see the penguins at Boulder and standing at what seemed to be the end of the world at Cape of Good Hope. Cape Town is probably my favourite city in the world to date.
Also loved the peacefulness of Meerufenfushi in the Maldives. It used to take me 20 mins every morning to walk round the island on the beach before I got back to where I started from. And the most gorgeous blue sea that you could wade out to for ages and feed the baby sharks. Awesome.